[05] Turkey to use US influence on Greek Cypriots regarding the
negotiation talks

[06] Columnist in Istanbul Hurriyet Daily News.com argues that
Afghanistan and Iran are behind the growing US support for Turkey

[01] The final lists of the candidates in the elections were announced
yesterday

Turkish Cypriot daily Vatan newspaper (24.03.09) reports that the
self-styled Supreme Election Council (YSK) announced yesterday the
final lists of the candidates for the 50 seats in the assembly during
the elections to be held on 19 April in the occupied areas of the
Republic of Cyprus. The candidacy of three persons has been rejected.
One of these persons was an independent candidate and the other two
were included in the list of the Politics for the People (HIS) Party.
The total number of the candidates in the elections is 358.

The paper writes that 350 of these candidates belong to seven political
parties and eight of them are independent. However, the number of the
candidates who meet the criteria to be candidates is only 356, because
two candidates of HIS are not eligible to be elected. The names of
these candidates will be included in the list of the party, but in case
they receive enough votes to win a seat, they will not take their place
in the assembly.

The candidate of the party who received the most votes after them will
be elected. Three of the independent candidates will run for the
elections in occupied Lefkosia, one in Keryneia, three in Morfou and
one in Trikomo. One independent candidate in Lefkosia has withdrawn his
candidacy.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Izcan and Yonluer analysed their first 100 days programme in case
they win the elections

Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (24.03.09) reports that the
program under the title The First 100 Days was broadcast live last
night by Kibris TV from the premises of the illegal Cyprus
International University (UKU). The program was broadcast for the
second time. Candidates from the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), the
National Unity Party (UBP), the Social Democracy Party (TDP), the
Democratic Party (DP), the United Cyprus Party (BKP) and the Politics
for the People (HIS) Party asked questions to Izzet Izcan and Ahmet
Yonluer, general secretary of the BKP and president of the HIS
respectively, after Izcan and Yonluer explained what they would do in
the first 100 days in case they win the elections.

In his statements, Mr Izcan said they do not accept the meddling of
Turkey in the administration of the occupied areas of Cyprus and noted
that their target is for the administration to pass to the hands of the
Turkish Cypriots within 24 hours. He said that in the first 24 hours
they will meet with the ambassador of Turkey to the occupied part of
Lefkosia, the security forces, the central bank and the ministry of
interior and call them to account. He noted that they will call the
embassy to account regarding the structure of the population in the
occupied areas and added that they do not accept the current form of
administration. Lefkosia will decide and Ankara will condone, he
argued.

He said that they will put an end to the obligatory military service
and establish a professional army. He noted that they will adopt the
euro as their currency. Mr Izcan said that he will ask the Turkish
Cypriot leader Talat if he will continue to say that I will sit if the
government in Turkey tells me to sit and stand up if it tells me to
stand up. If you continue to do this, our roads will separate, I will
say to him, he added. Mr Izcan noted that the vision of his party for
the solution is clear and added that they want a free, independent and
united Cyprus with territorial integrity and to live brotherly with the
entire Cypriot people. He noted that this wish could be materialized
only with the federal solution and added that they want the country to
be demilitarized and disarmed. He pointed out that the solution cannot
be reached by talking the one day about federation and the other about
confederation.

In his statements, Ahmet Yonluer said that new models for economic
development should be tried and argued that the Dubai Model could be
applied for the occupied areas of Cyprus. He noted that with this model
a free trade zone will be established and added that the aim will be
bringing and selling cheap products in the occupied areas. He said that
the first thing they will do in case they come to power will be the
establishment of a crisis desk. He noted that they will prepare a
50-year master plan regarding the town planning and lift the
restrictions on the Turkish and Greek Cypriot properties in the
occupied areas.

Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (24.03.09) reports that Ferdi
Sabit Soyer, chairman of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) announced
last night the manifesto of the party for the elections of the 19th of
April. The 133-page manifesto under the title Progress wants courage,
includes the actions of the CTP and its plans for the future on the
issue of achieving progress regarding the solution of the Cyprus
problem and the accession to the EU, its proposals for amendments to
the constitution, its actions for achieving sustainable economic
development, its work for preparing the Turkish Cypriots for
international competition and its targets for the next five years.

Mr Soyer described the Cyprus problem as fault line and added that
strong edifices, such as the CTP which could hold out against
earthquakes, are needed. He argued that with the opening of the door to
international legitimacy with the 2004 referendum, various changes were
made in the political and social life in the occupied areas. Mr Soyer
said that while they exert efforts for the solution of the Cyprus
problem, they continue their work for harmonization with the Copenhagen
and Maastricht Criteria. He noted that after the elections of 19 April
they will submit to the EU and implement the program they prepared. He
argued that thanks to the Property Compensation Commission, the
European Court of Human Rights started taking into consideration the
views of Northern Cyprus . Mr Soyer said that the Turkish Cypriots
sold products of ¬ 7.5 million to the Greek Cypriots within the
framework of the Green Line Regulation. He noted that in five years
their GDP increased from $1.2 billion to $3.6 billion and the imports
from $470 million to $1.5 billion.

Main issue in today s Turkish daily newspapers (24.03.09) is the trip
of President Abdullah Gul to Iraqs capital, Baghdad. Mr Gul is the
first Turkish President after 33 years to visit Baghdad. Mr Gul met
with his Iraqi counterpart Jalal Talabani. Following are the newspaper
reports on Mr Guls visit:

Turkish daily Hurriyet newspaper under its banner headline, First
official Kurdistan, reports that President Abdullah Gul, who is the
first Turkish President to visit Iraq after 33 years, used the
expression Kurdistan Regional Administration for the first time.
Speaking to reporters on his way to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, Mr
Gul called it Kurdistan Regional Administration instead of
administration of northern Iraq. Gul said: What should I say? We do not
stop using the word Macedonia just because Greece does not use such an
expression. This is what is written in the Iraqi constitution.

Turkish daily Sabah newspaper under its banner headline, This affair
issue end, reports that President Abdullah Gul, who is the first
Turkish President to visit Iraq in the past 33 years, said that a new
era should start to stop bloodshed and boost brotherhood. Speaking to
reporters on his way to Baghdad, Mr Gul used the word Kurdistan for the
first time. Mr Gul said that terrorism should come to an end. He said:
This issue must come to an end. Arms will be laid down, terrorism and
bloodshed will stop. Referring to the forthcoming Kurdish conference,
Mr Gul said, inter alia: Kurds of northern Iraq finally understood that
the terrorist organisation is the one poisoning our relations. Now they
are taking action for the first time to stop bloodshed. We will see.
Either they will lay down their arms, or... he said.

Turkish daily Milliyet newspaper under its banner title, Gul gave
important messages on his way to Baghdad; Historic step against
terrorism, reports that on his way to Baghdad, President Abdullah Gul
told reporters aboard the plane that efforts were underway behind
closed doors, I am hopeful he said. Iraqs President Jalal Talabani
said: The PKK will either lay down its arms or leave this country.

[05] Turkey to use US influence on Greek Cypriots regarding the
negotiation talks

Todays Zaman newspaper (24.03.09) reports the following:

President Obama's visit to Turkey next month promises to be a historic
event in recent Turkish-American relations.

There is no doubt that even the news of the visit has already sparked
such an atmosphere that the visit will be registered in the annals as
an important step in "rebuilding the strategic partnership with
Turkey." This is a phrase I borrowed from the Obama-Biden policy
platform on Europe published before the election.

Apart from the niceties pertaining to the fact that a US president is
engaging with Turkey early on at the highest level, there are many
issues that are expected to be on the table. It is highly likely that
Obama will ask Turkey to increase its contribution to the NATO effort
in Afghanistan, something that is being discussed internally within the
Turkish decision-making structure. Provided that other NATO members
contribute equally, it is not too farfetched to contemplate Turkey
sharing more of the burden there.

Turkey will ask President Obama to use US influence on Greek Cyprus to
convey a clear message to Nicosia that there will be a cost to the
failure of the UN-sponsored talks. This is a relatively cost-free
policy issue for Washington, but it must be highlighted as the talks
are extremely significant this time.

The issue of US troop withdrawal from Iraq, the future of Iraq as well
as thorny issues such as Kirkuk will be discussed. Provided the
appropriate modalities are mutually agreed upon, there appears to be
little resistance to a US withdrawal among the parties in the Turkish
Parliament. Obviously, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) issue in
light of the recent rapprochement with the northern Iraqi authorities
-- possibly leading to the final eradication of the PKK menace from
northern Iraq -- will be discussed.

Continued US support for Turkey's EU drive will be reiterated. Reviving
the Israel-Syria talks under Turkish auspices or joint auspices is
likely to be talked about. Naturally, the issue of Israel-Palestine as
well as views on the Middle East will be shared. Iran -- and how to
deal with this complicated issue -- is certainly going to be high on
the US agenda, particularly in consideration of Turkey's UN Security
Council seat.

Last but not least, the only pressing short-term issue will be brought
up: the Armenian resolution in the US Congress and the president's
statement on April 24. On this issue there are divergent views. Some in
Washington believe that it will be difficult for Obama to retract his
campaign promises, while others argue that he will follow what every
president has done before him and act responsibly. Regardless of what
he and his administration feel about this issue, there is little doubt
that the current normalization effort with Armenia will figure
prominently in everyone's mind. The visionary diplomacy undertaken by
the two sides is historic and we want to believe that all sides
understand the sensitivity and the opportunity at hand.

Despite the risks that the Armenian issue poses for Turkish-American
relations, they have the potential to develop in a fashion that would
remind us of the strong partnership both nations enjoyed for five
decades. The US and Turkey have common interests in the region,
although they sometimes choose to emphasize different means. Obama made
a great start with his message to Al-Arabiya and Iran on Nevruz. His
visit to Ankara may even add to the positive momentum he has garnered.
The Middle East and the wider Islamic world will be eagerly watching
how the visit will unfold.

[06] Columnist in Istanbul Hurriyet Daily News.com argues that
Afghanistan and Iran are behind the growing US support for Turkey

Istanbul Hurriyet Daily News.com (23.03.09) publishes a commentary by
Ferai Tinc under the title: "What you see when you look from the
outside". Following is the commentary:

As I was observing the debates that were being held prior to the NATO
summit in Brussels I realized that similar to many things that we do
not talk about, another important incident in the Aegean Sea was also
being ignored.

Despite the fact that we did not talk about this incident, it was
widely debated in Greece.

A military maneuver will be held in the Aegean and the Mediterranean on
29 and 30 March at the invitation of Turkey. The Egemen [Sovereign] 09
Joint Maneuver will be held with the participation of the United
States, Britain, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

The maneuver which aims to ensure that NATO forces intervene in hot
clashes that may erupt in the Aegean Sea and that they investigate the
reasons behind the clashes, has led to Greece's reaction. The Greek
defense minister has asked the countries that will participate in the
maneuver to change their decision in this regard. However his call has
been ignored. Greece is concerned that its claims regarding the Aegean
and the Mediterranean will not be taken seriously.

The maneuver in the controversial waters alone might not have been so
important, but given that US President Obama will not stop in Greece
when visiting Turkey, these two incidents were jointly assessed and
political conclusions were drawn accordingly.

Washington, in an effort to end the criticism leveled by Athens, issued
a statement to the effect that despite the economic measures, the Greek
Independence Day will be celebrated at a reception that will be given
at the White House on 25 March. This did not help, however.

My Greek colleagues noted that this is a tradition that is repeated
every year and they sought the answer to the following question:

What is the reason for the growing support for Turkey? The truth is
that this has been the mostly asked question behind the scenes lately.

When we look at the items that are being discussed by NATO and at how
it is shaping itself on its 60th anniversary, the answer to this
question becomes clear.

On Thursday French President Sarkozy submitted to NATO Secretary
General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer a letter about his country's request to
return to NATO's military wing.

This is a formality. Currently talks will be held on the modalities of
France's return to NATO's military wing. It will be necessary to hold
discussions on the commands that it will take over, its command
structure and its contributions to the joint budget and defense
planning process.

France's return to NATO's military wing will mean that the dispute that
had prevailed between Europe and the United States after 11 September
has finally ended. More important is the fact that Washington will take
up security issues with Europe within the framework of NATO where it is
more influential. The Transatlantic Alliance is getting stronger. This
development will comfort the countries in the transatlantic wing of
NATO, among them Turkey.

It is therefore of vital importance for the United States to ensure
that this process does not fail not only from the military standpoint,
but also from the political standpoint. Rather than becoming an
obstacle Turkey is requested to extend support during this period that
will enable Turkey to hold talks with France at every stage. They
listen to Turkey more and they make more efforts to convince Turkey.

Afghanistan is the reason behind all these efforts. Everything is being
planned and shaped according to Afghanistan. Prior to the US elections
it had been noted that the super power era had ended and everyone had
talked about the post-American era. Currently the United States is
trying to change this image with the winds of the Obama period.

Together with General Petraeus and Holbrooke priority is being given to
Afghanistan with a strategy that is based on winning the people.

Rather than doing this alone, the United States will do this with NATO.
NATO appears to be locked on Afghanistan and the new strategy document
will be prepared in this climate.

When we look through this prism, we see that the control of Iran is
very important for Turkey in terms of Iraq's stability. NATO takes the
option of cooperating with Iran regarding Afghanistan very seriously.
And one of the routes to stability in Iraq passes through the solution
of the Kurdish problem in Turkey.

It is important for the United States to avoid problems with Turkey
during this critical period. This is the reason behind the pains that
the US Administration is taking with the Justice and Development
Party.

Following are the summaries of reports and commentaries of selected
items from the Turkish press on 23 March 2009:

a) Turkish-Armenian ties

In a column entitled ""Anxiety in Baku as Turkey Armenia nears
reconciliation" in Hurriyet Daily News.com, Barcin Yinanc views
Turkish-Armenian talks aiming for normalization of relations and
Azerbaijan's concern over the impact of the reconciliation between the
two countries. Yinanc concludes that the US Administration is likely to
exert pressure on Turkey and Armenia to reach a compromise before the
Armenian commemoration day on 24 April. She adds: "A historic decision
is awaiting the government on what it will get from Armenia in exchange
for opening the borders and establishing diplomatic relations. No
doubt, reconciliation with Armenia and its implications to relations
with Azerbaijan will be the most important foreign policy challenge
facing the government immediately after the local elections."

b) Turkish US relations

Interesting details surface while studying the reasons behind the new
US Administration's Turkey policy, says Ferai Tinc in an article in
Hurriyet. Referring to US Special Representative Richard Holbrooke's
statement on Turkey's possible help in operations carried out against
the Taliban, Tinc looks into the type of possible cooperation between
United States and Turkey. Pointing out that the United States is trying
to introduce a political alternative in resolving the Afghanistan
issue, Tinc maintains that President Obama will support Taliban's
participation as a political party in the elections to be held this
year. She notes that the United States is making attempts to hold
contacts with the relatively moderate sections of the Taliban, adding
that the participation of Golboddin Hekmatyar, who was one of the
Islamist leaders that the CIA supported against the Russian occupation
in the 70s, in the elections is another secret plan. Recalling that
Turkey knows Hekmatyar from the time when his picture was taken
together with Prime Minister Erdogan, Tinc asserts that Turkey is aware
of efforts to contact Hekmatyar that were launched by the United
Kingdom in 2007 even though the impact of the previous relations
between Erdogan and Hekmatyar is unknown. Recalling an article by
Holbrooke in which he wrote that Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and
Pakistan are the five countries that are at the center of new
geo-strategic issues of the United States, Tinc says that maintaining
stability is the ultimate goal. Tinc concludes that she has some
concerns over the new US Administration's possible support of
oppressive regimes for the sake of attaining stability.

In an article entitled "A successful visit" in Sabah, Omer Taspinar
evaluates foreign policy adviser Ahmet Davutoglu's recent Washington
visit. Pointing out that the meeting Davutoglu held with National
Security Adviser James Jones took longer than expected, Taspinar
maintains that Turkish-US ties are entering a "historic era of
reconciliation" in which the Middle East policies of both countries are
nearly parallel. Summarizing the major issues that were discussed at
the meeting, Taspinar draws attention to Turkey's increasing role in
Afghanistan following the closure of Manas base in Kyrgyzstan that was
used in transfer of military logistics to Afghanistan. Taspinar draws
attention to the rising strategic importance of the Incirlik base.

Yaman Toruner views the reasons behind US President Obama's upcoming
visit to Turkey in his article in Milliyet. Questioning what the
political and economic interests of the United States are by "gaining
Turkey," Toruner maintains that the United States -- in order to
overcome the economic crisis -- needs to reduce expenses without losing
power as well as to preserve the interest in investments in countries
that attract hot money attraction. To this end, he says that the
United States must withdraw its troops from Iraq without losing its
control over the region. Toruner argues that the United States must
conquer the Iranian economy by privatization and accustom the Iranian
people to consumption in order to make money by introducing hot money
to Iran. Pointing out that the influence of EU and Germany on Turkey
will decrease when the PKK lays down arms as well as Russia's
aspiration to become a dominant power in the region, Toruner maintains
that these factors justify United States' overture to Turkey.

He concludes that in order for the Turkish economy to successfully
serve US aims, Turkey must reach an agreement with the IMF, maintain
stability in foreign currency rates, increase interest rates, and
preserve political stability.

In an article entitled "How did 'Superman' Davutoglu flash through
Washington?" Zaman columnist Ali Aslan analyzes the results of a series
of visits paid by Turkish officials and politicians, including Ahmet
Davutoglu, chief foreign policy adviser of Erdogan, to Washington. He
says: "Davutoglu was optimistic when he returned to Ankara because of
his observations that Turkey's foreign policy preferences and
priorities were parallel with those of the Obama Administration and
their approaches largely similar."